Sail-rig for ships.



No. 633,705. Patented Sept. 26, [899. A. v. SMITH.

SAIL RIG FOB SHIPS.

{Applicatiop filed Aug. 9, 1899.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

ANDREIV V. SMITH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SAIL-RIG FOR SHIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,705, datedSeptember 26, 1899.

Application filed August 9, 1899.

To all whom it 11mg concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW V. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Sail-Rigs for Ships; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

My invention relates to a novel rigging for sailing vessels.

It consists, essentially, in an arrangement of the sails whereby thepressure of the wind upon them is better applied to the propulsion ofthe vessel and in a means for relieving the pressure on certain portionsof the sails when tacking ship or going about in sailing on the wind.

It also comprises details of construction, which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the figureshows a rig with its sails attached to it.

It is well known by those familiar with the art that the speed of a shipwhen closehauled, as it is termed, is retarded by the great pressure ofwind against the masts, rigging, and other top hamper. Thisis wellillustrated by the position of the sails of a ship while lying to, as itis technically called. The sails of one mast act to hold the ship back,while all those of the other two masts in a three-niasted vessel, aswell as the jibs, act to push her forward, the result of the opposingactions being that the vessel lies still without headway in eitherdirection, although the pressure in different directions is as one totwo.

It is the object of my invention to relieve the ship of much of thispressure which is lost in direct propulsion and to so arrange the sailsthat they can be handled with a much less force of men than in theordinary arrangement.

A is the hull of a vessel.

B B are the masts, and C are frames set twelve inches or more abaft ofthe masts and covered by steel-wire netting, as at D. The sails E E Eare made triangular in shape and are carried upon these frames O, whichare abaft of the masts. These frames may be made of metal, wood, orpartly of both, and

they take the place of three or four of the Serial No. 726,681. (Nomodehl yards ordinarily used upon ships. This frame work is here shownas supported upon a central vertical spar c, which is pivoted andturnable at the rear of the mast, one end being pivotally supported atthe top and the other extending down through the upper deck, where it isproperly fulcrumed to allow it to swing sufficiently to secure thenecessary travel of the yards in bracing them up when the ship issailing close to the wind on either tack.

The steel-wire netting D is for the purpose of keeping the sails inproper position, and it also serves as a foot and hand hold for sailorsto climb upon and pass through, the meshes being practically aboutsixteen inches in size.

The framework may be made of steel tubing or any other suitable ordesired material.

The space between the upper yard and the one next below carries threetriangular sails, and the one below this carries three more arranged ina similar manner. These sails are arranged as follows: The sail E ismade tri angular in shape, and its upper edge is seized or secured tothe length of the yard in the usual manner. The lower edges of this sailare convergent, terminating at a point adjacent to the next yard below.From this angle a contr0lling-rope may lead to the deck of the vessel.These triangular sails have fixed at this angle a loop or ring G, whichserves as a traveler, and this loop or ring is adapted to travel upon arod or stay H, which extends from this point backward and upward to themast next behind, so that when the rope or sheet holding this point ofthe sail is cast off the sail may in certain conditions swing backwardlyfrom the network in which it normally rests under the pressure of thewind, and when it thus swings backwardly and upwardly it is relievedfrom any pressure from the opposite side. To the outer vertical sides ofthe frames which carry the screen are seized or fixed the sails E and EThe lower edges of these sails extend horizontally and have ropes orsheets 6 attached to them and leading to the deck of the vessel, bywhich ropes they may be hauled inwardly and made to set properly. Thehypotenuse or longer edge of each of these sails coincides approximatelywith the convergent edges of the sail E, so that when all these sailsare sheeted home they form practically a single rectangular sail whichrests against the netting before described and at the rear of the mastwhich carries them.

This construction as described for one yard is practically the same forthe next adjacent set of sails.

To the center of the hypotenuse of each of the sails E E is connected arope I, which leads through a pulley-block near the outer outer-angle ofthe sail, so that by hauling upon this rope when the main sheet of thesail E is slackened the sail will be drawn down and practically furledat this outer angle. The operation with these sails will then be asfollows: IVhen the ship is making a tack, the lower points of the largersail E will blow back and upward, the rings or travelers moving upon thediagonal stays previously described, so that the sail will be kept inplace; but there will be no pressure on these particular sails. Therewill be a pressure of the wind upon the royals and upon the wings E or Eon the windward side, while the corresponding wing upon the leeward sideis drawn down or furled by its furling-rope I, as above described. Thepressure thus remaining upon the windward sail will easily carry theship about on the other tack and course and will insure this movementwithout any clanger of missing stays. In order to swing the framescarrying these sails, ropes or chains J are fixed to the side frames,and these eX- tend rearwardly and inwardly to the next mast abat't andthere, passing through suitable pulleys,.they pass down through ahawse-pipe fixed in the deck near the mast and around a pulley, with aweight attached, thence up through a like pulley at the mast and to theother side of the frame, so that one portion of the rope is drawn inwhile the other is equally extended as the sail-carrying frames swing tobring the sails properly into the wind. These ropes or sheets can bebelayed or secured when the sail is in the proper position in anysuitable or desired manner. A locking block or plug may be inserted inthe hawse-pipe to bind the rope at this point or they may be secured inother suitable ways.

The royals K are triangular sails, the bases of which are secured to theupper yard or frame, and their inner lower angles are fitted to travelonstays L, as described for the sail E, when the ship goes about.

7t 7.: are the controlling-sheets.

M is a triangular sailsecured to and extending below the lower yard, andits lower apex'is movable upon a stay N.

To tack the ship will require them-first, that the sheets of all thecentral triangular sails be cast loose to allow the lower points to movebackwardly, their travelers moving up the supporting-stays, and theyard-braces are paid out enough to allow the yards to swing. sails E Eare cast off, and these sails move out to the end of their yards and theship is immediately advanced. The central sails flowing out to the angleof about forty-five degrees will not retard the steerage-way. Then whenthe vessel has swung past the windseye the fore and main frames areswung to their proper position for the other tack. The

'mizzen-frame being already nearly in place,

the strain on the braces and sheetswill practically do all this workautomatically.

If desired, a capstan may be used to pay out the wing-sail sheet intacking. This power will also pull in the slack of the brailrope, thusholding the sail steady" until the vessel has come around.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rigging forships,a rectangular frame supported and turnable upona vertical axis at the rear of the mast, a netting stretched upon saidframe and adapted to carr Y the sails of the vessel.

2. In a rigging for vessels, one or more rectangular frames havinganetting fixed thereto, and sails extended thereon, a vertical centralspar supported and turnable at the rear of the mast, and means forswinging the frame about said support.

3. In a rigging for vessels, one or more rectangular frames with nettingstretched thereon, a vertical centrally-journaled spar in line at therear of the mast, sails supported upon said framework, consisting of anupper triangular sail having its upper horizontal edge seized or securedto the framework, the other edges convergent to a point below,othertriangular sails having their outer edges seized to the Vertical outerportions of the framework, their lower edges extending horizontally andthe hypotenuse coinciding with the lower converging edges of thefirst-named sail when all are sheeted home.

4E. In a rig for ships, one or more rectangular frames turnable aboutcentral vertical supporting-spars at the rear of the respective masts,and having a supportingnetwork fixed thereto, triangular sails seizedrespectively to the horizontal upper and vertical on ter sid es of theframework,connections with the points of said sails and ropes leadingtherefrom to the deck of thevessel whereby the sails may be sheeted homeand form a rectangular sail-surface approximately coincident with theoutline of the supporting-frame.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW V. SMITH.

\Vitnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, JESSIE O. BRoDIn.

Then the sheets for the lee wings or

